all in the family

My uncle Raymond is 80 years old and has Lou Gehrig’s disease. He’s losing control of the ability to move the muscles in his body. He can no longer speak and eventually will become totally paralyzed. We decided to move our annual DuVal family reunion from the first Sunday in August to yesterday so that he might participate. I guess we’re like most families. Some didn’t come because they thought they were too busy. Some didn’t come because they thought they were failures and didn’t want to face others. Some didn’t come because they didn’t see the value of it. Some didn’t come because of conflicts with others. (Sounds a little like the church, doesn’t it?) The DuVal family is a motley crew, and it’s hard to tell what might be said or done. My aunt Pearl is 86 years old. When given her name tag, she took it, stuck it on her butt and said: “I want everyone to see how petite I am!” (which she definitely is not!) The members of our family who did come shared stories, recounted happy memories, told of struggles they’re going through. With all of our imperfections, we love one another (well, most of us do.) We come together because we want to stay connected. I think we all yearn for that. My uncle Raymond may not be around for the next reunion, but it was wonderful to see him smiling and trying to laugh (especially when Aunt Pearl was telling him dirty jokes!) What can I say? It’s family.